It’s been funny watching the New York media trying to make something out of this A-Rod poker story. They staked him out during his rehab workouts down in Tampa yesterday. They were told beforehand by Yankees officials that A-Rod wouldn’t answer questions about poker, and that if they asked, he’d leave. They asked, he left. Headline from the Post: “A-Rod folds.” Never change, New York Post. Never, ever change.

Thing is, there really isn’t anything new to be taken from this story. There are competing allegations about whether or not he was at a poker game and Major League Baseball’s vow to investigate, and that’s it. Oh, and then there’s this little thing from the Post story:

Rodriguez also reportedly has played poker with tennis star Pete Sampras.

Which was immediately denied by Rodriguez’s PR people. But really, is that a salacious allegation? Is there a more milquetoast celebrity/athlete than Pete Sampras? Heck, if I were making a list of athletes I’d let watch my kids for a weekend, Sampras would probably be in the top three. Maybe the top two now that Harmon Killebrew has died. I’d worry more about him OD’ing on milk and cookies than anything else.

But if that’s where we are, what’s next? “Rodriguez has reportedly played Crazy Eights with the guy who played Ralphie in ‘A Christmas Story'”? “Rodriguez has reportedly played Uno with Kirk Cameron”? “Rodriguez has reportedly played ‘Sorry’ with that Zachary Johnson kid from down the block, and none of the moms really like him”?

I know everyone wants there to be another A-Rod scandal because there isn’t anything much more fun than that, but really, this is all so weak.

The real sad part to this is that even if he did nothing wrong, A-Rod is a drag on the team in some ways. Instead of everyone talking about the Yanks being in first and playing the Sox, it’s all A-Rod. It can’t be fun for his teammates to deal with. And even though he really seems to get this now, I wonder if sometimes the rest of the franchise wonders if he’s worth all the trouble.

I dislike A-Rod as much as the next guy, but this is just ridiculous. People all over the country have poker games with their buddies on a regular basis. Just because A-Rod and his buddies play for a higher amount of money, I’m sure the amount A-Rod and Co are gambling compared to his salary is proportionate to what a blue collar worker gambles of his wages. This isn’t a story.

The real question is who is hard-up for high-stakes gambling enough to hang out with A-Rod.

“Rodriguez has reportedly played Crazy Eights with the guy who played Ralphie in ‘A Christmas Story”

I’d rather play crazy eights with Darren McGavin- he was the Nightstalker for God’s sake. If any paranormal entites tried to interrupt the game, he’d be able to do something. All Ralphie had was that cool BB gun with the compass in the handle and the only thing he ever shot was himself.

P.S.

Even though I loved the guy when he played, I wouldn’t leave my daughter with Mel Hall- just saying.